HOT ROGER FEDERER SAYS PLAYING IMPERFECT TENNIS WILL PAY OFF DOWN UNDER

It’s Day 2 and the Australian Open has warmed up! I’m getting used to the late (in the USA) starts and the players are dealing with the palpable heat coming off those plexipave courts. Ausopen.com is reporting on court temps of 106 degrees, which, honestly, is horrifying. I hope every player gets hooked up to an IV as they get off the court. And fans should get one free for every three beers they buy.

Anyway, I’m mourning Venus Williams, Tommy Haas, and John Isner a little bit, though in Isner’s case I’m hoping he just avoided a marathon five setter which would then ruin the rest of his season. For that matter, Tommy and Venus are probably better off staying out of the debilitating heat, as well. Let’s all stay healthy for Wimbledon, shall we?

Any mopiness I’ve been feeling due to the early exits of Venus Williams, Tommy Haas and John Isner, was overcome by Roger Federer’s routine victory over admittedly green Australian young gun James Duckworth 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 in his first round match. Even better, Roger offered up a little tidbit for fans to chew on during his post-match interview with ESPN’s Tom Rinaldi.

Rinaldi asked Roger Federer about how he was adjusting with the new racquet, but Roger decided to talk more generally about his adjustments:

At the moment it’s just about getting through. Making sure I have no hiccups along the way, make sure that I beat the heat like I did today. That I come out and feel good. I’m carrying no injuries. Put all those things together and play inspired tennis and enjoy it out there. And not think it’s not such a must to play this perfectly clean tennis. It’s okay to miss as well and go for it. And I think on a quicker court like it is this year at the AO it’s worth it and it’s going to pay off.

Well then, I think we have a lot to look forward to. I hope you grew your fingernails nice and long because it sounds like Roger wants to play on the edge this tournament.

I know there’s still a lot of tennis to play today (Seppi vs. Hewitt and Tomic vs. Nadal, anyone?) but I found Roger’s comments so revealing and intriguing that it was worth a pause. What have you thought of the AO so far? And of Roger’s refreshed attitude?